District 30 Board Brief

The Board toured all schools during its committee meeting to review the buildings and grounds improvements for the 2025-26 school year. Tours were led by each school's principal team, as well as Buildings and Grounds Coordinator Mr. Jason Borst, Dr. Tammaru and Mr. Dale Falk, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations.

At Willowbrook, administrators outlined improvements that include:

• A new pour-in-place surface on the east playground
• A new PTO-sponsored mural that greets visitors in the main office
• Tiles to replace carpeting on the second floor.
• Re-striping of the parking lot
• New signage to improve safety
• A dedicated mother's room for staff
• Dedicated spaces for Navigate and orchestra students, relocated for math and reading specialists, and an improved setting for the social worker to support students.

Additionally, Principal Mrs. Katie Compagno and Assistant Principal Mr. Erik Brekke outlined the school's new "PAW Rules" (Positive to all; Acting safely; Work to do your best) that will be systematically taught this year and are hung throughout the hallways. They also showcased a display that will highlight the school's 2025-26 theme: "One School, Many Stories." This theme will support Willowbrook's literacy goals while also enhancing social-emotional learning.

Wescott Interim Co-Principals Mrs. Helena Vena and Mrs. Liz Webb were joined by Assistant Principal Mrs. Katie Petersen in detailing the school's 2025-26 theme "We Put the We in Wescott" and discussed plans for displays of behavior expectations throughout the school.

They also showcased a new bathroom in the kindergarten and 1st-grade wing, as well as the front office. This is part of a multi-year project to upgrade bathrooms at both Wescott and Willowbrook School.

Like Willowbrook, Wescott also gained safety upgrades like signage, as well as new paint striping in the parking lot.

Maple Assistant Principal Mrs. Angela Jaeger outlined significant new signage throughout the building for safety and ease of navigation. This included a new "main entrance" sign at the front of the school.

To support student social-emotional learning, Mrs. Jaeger showcased an inspirational capstone project for the Class of 2025 that adorns the cafetorium. A wall of ornamental butterflies fills a window, with each one featuring a student's name and actions they plan to do in order to make the world a better place.

Additionally, like the elementary schools, Maple's parking lot was re-striped, as well as freshly sealed.

The Board approved a tentative budget for public display at the District Office and set a public hearing for its September 18 meeting. The tentative budget includes $36.5M in projected revenues with $36.2M of estimated expenditures and transfers to address capital improvement projects. Superintendent Dr. Emily Tammaru and members of the Board praised the financial health of the district and the commitment to align spending to the District 30 Strategic Plan and Board goals.

Maple School Assistant Principal and Lew Blond 5K Run/Walk Foundation Member Mrs. Angela Jaeger addressed the Board to present a $8,500 donation to District 30. These funds are part of the proceeds from the race that happened last May at Maple school; the run attracted more than 600 racers and raised the largest amount of funds in the race's 24-year history.

Mrs. Jaeger shared that the Foundation makes a donation annually to support District 30 special projects and thanked the Board for their partnership and commitment to the annual event. She also highlighted that an additional $22,000 in race proceeds benefited the Les Turner ALS Foundation in memory of former Maple teacher Lew Blond.

Dr. Melissa Hirsch, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, presented an overview of additional summer curriculum work completed by two teams of 20 teachers. Their work was focused on academic growth and inclusion for complex learners, as well as implementation of the new English language arts resource for grade 1-5. Mr. Erik Brekke, Assistant Director of Student Services, also elaborated on the work related to complex learners.

Both administrators highlighted how summer work aligns with District 30's priority for continuous instructional improvement, which can support the diverse needs of students. They added that this opportunity for teacher collaboration ensures that every student receives a consistent, high-quality educational experience regardless of classroom or school.

Board President Mr. Ammar Rizki discussed the search for 2025-26 leadership at TrueNorth following this summer's resignation of resignation of Superintendent Dr. Kurt A. Schneider. As the cooperative is being led by interim Superintendent Andy Piper, who is typically Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, the True North Leadership Council has been conducting interviews with high quality candidates. Mr. Rizki said he anticipates an announcement on a new leadership hire at a council meeting next week.

That meeting will also determine next steps for TrueNorth, as multiple districts seek to withdraw from the educational cooperative, he added. Additionally, Mr. Rizki said that the schools operated by TrueNorth are prepared for the 2025-26 academic year and are working closely with parents and families to ensure all learners receive the support to which they are accustomed.

This year, District 30 will focus on hiring two key administrator roles for the 2026-27 school year: Wescott School Principal and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Tammaru detailed the district's robust hiring process that will allow for early and expansive recruiting, in order to reach the highest quality candidates. She also emphasized that the process for both roles will involve feedback from relevant stakeholders, which could include students, parents and/or staff, depending on the role.

Dr. Tammaru reported 98 percent student enrollment, with staffing fully complete as District 30 prepares for the August 20 start of school.

Dr. Tammaru detailed ongoing communications with the Village of Northbrook and the developer, Lexington Homes, regarding District 30's significant concerns about potential inaccurate student projections as a result of a proposed home development, called Northbrook Row.

Dr. Tammaru stated that the village and developer continue to use outdated multipliers and census data, which do not account for 30 years of educational improvements that have transformed District 30 into a destination for families seeking exceptional schools. If similar under-projections continue, she said, this would cause significant capacity constraints for library space, cafeteria space, and other areas within Wescott School, which is already approaching capacity overall.

Dr. Tammaru outlined new academic proficiency benchmarks approved by the State of Illinois this month, which will apply to the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) tests taken by students last spring.

She shared that the state adjusted its benchmarks to "right-size" proficiency levels on state assessments, because previous proficiency rates on state assessments did not match realities in the classroom. Illinois’ benchmarks for English language arts proficiency were the most restrictive in the country, she said, resulting in the mislabeling of high-achieving, college-ready students as “not proficient.”

In science, reverse changed occurred and the Illinois benchmark was too low, overstating

student mastery. This also led to confusion and inflated results that didn’t align with

classroom performance or readiness expectations.

Overall, proficiency benchmarks were misaligned with other trusted national and state indicators and these changes will better reflect classroom realities, she said.

The Board approved the hire of Bridgette Cradick, Learning Behavior Specialist at Wescott. Please welcome her to District 30!

The Board completed a second read of 19 policies from this PRESS (Policy Reference Education Subscription Service) Issue, subsequently approving the adoption of all changes proposed. The only noteworthy change includes adopting language that outlines potential consequences for Board Members who fail to abide by the Code of Conduct. The Board agreed this change would allow for flexibility of consequences, while also stressing accountability.

The Board of Education consists of seven members elected from the general public to serve the entire Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 Community. The Board provides governance for the district by hiring and evaluating the superintendent and approving a budget, policies, and goals that align with the district's strategic plan. Board members are:

• President - Ammar Rizki
  
• Vice President - Jeff Zuercher
• Zivit Blonder
  
• Adan Galvan
• Pamela Manicioto
  
• Patrick Wang
• Dr. Stephanie Yohannan

Northbrook/Glenview District 30 exists to create an inclusive community that inspires learning, fosters resiliency, and cares deeply for every child. We honor childhood and foster intellectual, physical and social-emotional growth. District 30 serves more than 1,200 students in pre-K through 8th grade across Willowbrook, Wescott and Maple Schools.

We prohibit harassment and discrimination of all forms within our district and follows all policies and procedures to ensure a safe environment for all.

Email: communications@district30.org
Website: district30.org
Location: 2374 Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL, USA
Phone: 847-498-4190